$50 best bad idea I've had

This thread definitely delivers. I'm in the third row of a minivan on a 3-hour return from customer meeting and read it from start to finish!! Learned about drug loaner cars and pavement snacks too.

This fine automobile is now my primary form of transportation since I sold the Miata.

I really want these wheels, but not can't bring myself to spends almost double what I have in the car.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/pts/5176303298.html

Keep your old wheels, when you sell your $400 car, take off those nice rims and sell them separately. I mean when you have more in your car in tires than the car itself, doesn't make sense to look at it as the sum of it's parts...

Behold! Gifts from the junkyard gods...Viggen spec turbo and intercooler.

$113 hit to the budget when I get them installed.

Sweet! That's a damn good price really. No good junk yards around Seattle...

I took a trip up to Seattle today to check out the Scanwest Autosport BBQ and get my ecu tuned by Mike D who had flown in from Boston for the event. Long drive, but good fun and a claimed 40 more HP. I also got a spare key programmed to the car, and all for a Benjamin.

I'm sad I couldn't make it to the BBQ. Scanwest is seriously the best shop anywhere for SAAB. I've known Rob and Craig there for years and trust them completely. It's really hard to find a shop you can trust as I'm sure you can appreciate.

Glad the trip worked out!

Most excellent thread. The whole key/keychain bit makes this all seem like predestination. Truly in the spirit of the magazine.

Thanks. Bonus: I should be able to take 25 off the challenge budget thanks to my key misadventures.

Original key:$50

New blank: $5 (ebay)

Half price key cut since they messed up the first time: $20

Programming new key: free with tune.

The tune took 2 seconds off of my 15-90 MPH time. Now it takes 15 seconds.

Have you installed the new IC and turbo yet?

Nope. IC may go in this weekend. The tuner thought I might have a boost leak, and I bet it is from the stock IC being damaged from the fender bender. The turbo is a bit harder to swap, and I need to gather a few parts first.

It should be fun when all the upgrades are on. Have you had time to mod the air box yet?

Not yet. Maybe I'll do that this weekend with the intercooler. I just ordered a new turbo gasket and misc. parts to fit the new turbo.

I had some free time and energy after the kids went to bed so I made this:

I still need to attach the funnel. The inlet was opened up to 3" and the inside was smoothed for better flow.

Here is what the stock part looks like (upside down):

ID of the stock inlet is about 2".

"King Size Funnel" intake complete. Here it is compared to the stock part:

Total cost $3. Intake noise increased very slightly, turbo noise did not change. Intake air temp also did not seem to change. I will try another 15-90 run today to see if it had any effect on performance.

In reply to bgkast:

I'll bet it's negligible, but I'[m skeptical of all things.

In reply to tuna55:

Probably. The real point of this was to be able to hear the turbo, but that didn't work out.

bgkast wrote: In reply to tuna55: Probably. The real point of this was to be able to hear the turbo, but that didn't work out.

Remove the muffler!

The stock black vinyl pillar trim on the car is bubbling and is letting the looks of the car down. The pillars are body color underneath. I'm planning to remove them, but replacements are more than I want to spend. My options are either leave them body color, or plasti-dip black. Here is somebody's photo-shop of stock vs body color. Thoughts?

I want those wheels even more now...

I'd stay black. Hit them with 'Dip and carry on.

Trim black.

Black. The red looks like chrome plated E36 M3.

15-90 run with the funnel was about 1.5 seconds faster than with the stock box. It was about 8 degrees cooler today which probably contributed.